RASHID ROVER TO MAKE HISTORY ... TWO YEARS EARLY
▶ First Arab mission to Moon will be delivered by Japanese lander ahead of schedule next year
The UAE plans to land its Rashid rover on the Moon next year, two years earlier than initially planned, after an agreement with Japanese company ispace.
The Rashid rover will be delivered to the Moon by an ispace lander, which will be launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.
The Arab world’s first Moon mission was announced last year, with an initial launch date of 2024.
Yesterday, the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre unveiled details about the updated mission.
“This collaboration focuses on delivering the Rashid rover on the lunar surface service by the fourth quarter 2022,” said Adnan Al Rais, Mars 2117 programme director.
“We selected ispace because of their capabilities and the strong team they have.
“We’re honoured to be part of their first mission to the surface of the Moon.”
Under the agreement, ispace will also provide wired communication and power during the cruise phase and wireless communication on the lunar surface.
The Japanese robotic lander is called Hakuto-Reboot, or Hakuto-R, and is the first to be built by ispace.
If the Rashid rover lands successfully next year, it will pursue a number of scientific objectives.
These include studying lunar soil and the geology of the Moon.
But before the scientific exploration can begin, there will be the challenging task of landing on the surface. Only China, the US and the former Soviet Union have landed spacecraft on the Moon.
If the mission is successful, Japan and the UAE would join this exclusive club.
India’s attempt to land its Vikram lunar lander failed in 2019 because of a last-minute glitch.